Transmission means for rotating spindles

ABSTRACT

FIG-01 A TRANSMISSION FOR ROTATING A SPINDLE INCLUDES A WHEEL THE PERIPHERY OF WHICH ENGAGES THE SPINDLE AND FORCE APPLYING MEANS FOR HOLDING THE SPINDLE AND FORCE THE WHEEL PERIPHERY. THE FORCE APPLYING MEANS IS ADJUSTABLY MOUNTED ABOUT AN AXIS EXTENDING TRANSVERSE TO THE SPINDLE SO THAT THE AXIS ABOUT WHICH THE SPINDLE ROTATES CAN BE ADJUSTED.

United States 8 Claims ABSCT F 'llHE DlSClLUSURE A transmission for rotating a spindle includes a wheel the periphery of which engages the spindle and force applying means for holding the spindle in engagement with the wheel periphery. The force applying means is adjustably mounted about an axis extending transverse to the spindle so that the axis about which the spindle rotates can be adjusted.

This invention relates to transmission means for rotating a spindle and is particularly applicable to transmission means for false twist spindles.

The invention provides transmission means for rotating a spindle comprising an endless movable track and force applying means for urging the spindle without engagement therewith into engagement with the track along a line extending across the track, which force applying means are constructed so as to act over a length of the spindle and are mounted for rotational adjustment about an axis which intersects the line of engagement of the spindle on the track so that the line can be rotationally adjusted about said axis.

The force applying means may be mounted for r0tational adjustment about an axis which extends transversely to both the line and the direction of movement of the track at the location of the line.

The force applying means may be rotatably mounted on a support and clamping means may be provided for secu-ring the force applying means in any position of its rotational adjustment.

The force applying means may be provided with a spigot which engages between the support and the clamping means.

The force applying means may be constructed to act on the spindle at two spaced locations.

For example the force applying means may be constructed to act on parts of the spindle on either side of the track.

In the case where the transmission means is for a spindle constructed wholly or party in a magnetically responsive material the force applying means may comprise magnetic means having one or more magnetic poles spaced apart in the direction of said line of contact.

The magnetic means may comprise at least one permanent magnet having pole pieces of opposite polarity spaced apart in the direction of said line of Contact.

The following is a description of an embodiment of the invention reference being made to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. l is a partly sectioned side elevation of a false twist head,

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the false twist head shown in FIG. l, and

FIG. 3 is a side elevation of the other side of the false twist head.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2 of the drawings, there is shown a false twist head comprising a base plate on which a U-shaped frame 11 is mounted with the limbs of the frame extending horizontally and spaced vertically one above the other.

The lower of the limbs of the frame is formed with a downwardly extending boss 12 the bottom face of which engages the upper face of the plate 10. The boss is formed on one side thereof with a shoulder 13 which engages a step 14 formed on the plate. The interengagement of the shoulder 13 with the step 14 locates the frame 11 in the required alignment on the plate. The frame 11 is secured to the plate 10 by a bolt 15 which extends with clearance through a hole 16 in the upper limb of the frame and a hole 17 in the lower limb and the boss and is screw threaded at its lower end which is received in a screw threaded hole (not shown) in the plate 10. The bolt 15 has a face 18 towards the lower end thereof which abuts the `upper face of the lower limb of the frame so that the limb is clamped to the plate. The upper end of the bolt 15 has an hexagonal head which projects from the hole 16 to enable the bolt to be readily tightened or released.

The lower limb of the frame 11 is divided into two side by side parts by a slot extending from the free end of the limb part way along the slot, the end of the slot remote from the free end of the limb being indicated by the reference numeral 19. Extending downwardly from the two parts of the lower limb are two elliptical section struts 20 the lower ends of which are connected by a bridging piece 21. The struts are arranged so that their major axes extend transversely to said lower limb.

A bearing housing 22 is formed on the bridging piece 21 between the struts in which a roller bearing 23 is located.

A vertically extending shaft 2-4 located between the struts 20 rests at its lower end on the inner annulus of the bearing and has a spigot 25 which is received in the inner annulus. The shaft is of greater diameter than the minor axes of the struts 20 and the part of the shaft between the struts is encircled by a tightly fitting sleeve 26 of hard wearing synthetic material. A horizontally moving drive belt 9 makes frictional driving engagement with the sleeve 26. The shaft extends through the slot between the two parts of the lower limb of the frame, across the U-shaped frame and is mounted at its lupper end in a further bearing 27 housed in a bore in the upper limb of the frame.

Secured on the part of the shaft 24 between the limbs of the frame is a driving wheel comprising a solid cylindrical member 28 of a light non-magnetic alloy to the periphery of which are secured two bands 29 of hard wearing rubber like synthetic material the bands being spaced apart to form a groove 30 between them.

A pair of powerful horseshoe permanent magnets 31 (only one of which can be seen) are spaced apart by, and secured by adhesive to, a non-magnetic support block 32. The block has a vertical hole 33 extending through it through which the aforesaid bolt 15 passes with clearance. Projecting from the side of the block adjacent the base of the U-shaped frame 11 is a cylindrical spigot 34 which extends through a hole 35 in the bend of the frame 11 and is received in a part cylindrical seat 36 formed in the upper surface of a block 37 formed on the outside of the bend of the frame 11.

A clamping member 38 having a part cylindrical seat 39 engages over the upper part of the spigot and is Secured to the block 37 on either side of the spigot by screws 40. Loosening of the screws 40 permits the spigot to be rotated thereby rotating the support block 32 and the horseshoe magnets. The screws 40 can then be tightened to clamp the spigot in the chosen position. The purpose of this adjustment will be explained later.

The magnets 31 are arranged with like poles adjacent one another. Pole pieces 41, 42 bridge the respective like pairs of pole pieces and are secured thereto by screws 43.

As can be clearly seen in FIG. l of the drawings the pole pieces 41 and 42 are located with their respective 3 projecting fingers 50 adjacent to the end faces of the cylindrical member 28 with the end faces of the fingers spaced radially inwardly of the peripheral surfaces of the bands 29.

The false twist spindle 53 which is made from steel extends parallel to the axis of the shaft 24 and is engaged by the bands 29 at two spaced locations. The spindle is formed with a peripheral ange 54 which extends into the groove 30 between the bands. The spindle is drawn into engagement with the bands by the adjacent magnetically attracting fingers the ends of which are spaced radially from the spindle by the drive wheel to provide air gaps, the magnetic circuit between the fingers being completed through the spindle. The spindle 53 is hollow and has a pin extending across its bore at one end, the yarn to be false twisted being passed through the bore and once or twice around the pin in accordance with well known false twist practice.

As indicated earlier the horseshoe magnets are pivotally mounted in the frame 11 lby means of the spigot 34 and the clamping means 37 and 38. By rotation of the magnets the positions of the fingers 50 with respect to the bands can be adjusted so that the spindle can be held in a position in which it extends parallel to the axis of the cylindrical member 28 or inclined to the axis in either direction. Yarn tension tends to tilt the spindle in one direction and s the magnets are rotated to pre-tilt the spindle in the opposite direction so that in use yarn tension restores the spindle to a position in which it is parallel to the wheel axis.

The aforesaid base plate is formed with a hub 60 on the side of the step 13 remote from the frame 11 and projecting from the hub is a horizontally extending rod 61. The rod 61 is received in a hollow cylindrical sleeve 62 which has a polytetrauoroethylene lining. The sleeve is formed at the upper end of a downwardly extending bracket 63. A rod 64 is secured to the lower end of the bracket 63 which rod extends parallel to the rod 61 and is received with clearance in a bearing 65 located in the lower end of a plate 66 secured to the underside of the plate 10. The base plate 10 and with it the false twisting heads are thereby slidably mounted with respect to the bracket. The bracket 63 is secured by bolts 66 to one end of a member 67 of a frame for supporting a number of false twisting heads.

As shown in FIG. 3 of the drawings the sleeve 62 is formed on one side with an elongated closed slot 68 in which a pin 69 0n the shaft 61 is slidable. Two pulley wheels 70, 71 are rotatably mounted about horizontal axes on the sleeve adjacent the opposite ends of the slot 68 respectively.

It will be appreciated that engagement of the pin 69 with either end of the slot 68 limits the travel of the sliding movement of the head. The length of the slot is such that the sleeve 26 of the shaft 24 of the head can be disengaged from either of the sides of the aforesaid drive belt 9 by sliding movement of the head.

Secured to the pin 69 is one end of a wire tether 72 the other end of which is secured to a weight 73. The wire tether can be led around either the wheel 70, or the wheel 71 and the weight acts to draw the pin 69 towards the end of the slot adjacent to the wheel around which the wire is passed. The false twist head can thereby be urged in either direction of its sliding movement with respect to the fixed sleeve.

As shown in FIGS. l and 2 of the drawings a lever 74 is pivotally mounted at 75 on the opposite side of the sleeve 62 to the slot.

An upwardly extending plate 76 is secured by screws 77 to one side of the base plate 10. The plate 76 has sides which taper from a point adjacent the upper end of the plate to a point at the top of the plate. Fixed part way along one limb of the lever 74 is a projecting boss 78 which can be engaged with the lower part of one or other side of the cam plate 76 and thereby prevents sliding movement of the `base plate 10 and the false twist head in one or other direction. The arrangement is such that when the boss 78 is engaged with one or other of the sides of the cam plate 76 the false twist head is at one 0r other of the limits of its sliding movement.

The other limb of the lever 74 is provided with a resilient detent 79 which is engageable by swinging of the lever in one of two spaced holes 80, 81 formed on the sleeve and located so that when the detent is engaged in the hole 80 the lever is positioned so that the boss 78 is engaged with one or other of the sides of the cam plate 76 and when the detent is engaged in the hole 81, the lever is positioned so that the boss 78 is held clear of the cam plate 76.

I claim:

1. Transmission means for rotating a spindle comprising an endless movable track and force applying means for urging the spindle without engagement therewith into engagement with the track along a line extending across the track, which force applying means are constructed so as to act over a length of the spindle and are mounted for rotational adjustment about an axis which intersects the line of engagement of the spindle on the track so that the line can be rotationally adjusted about said axis.

2. Transmission means as claimed in claim 1 wherein the force applying means are mounted for rotational adjustment about an axis which extends transversely to both the line and the direction of movement of the track at the location of the line.

3. Transmission means as claimed in claim 2 wherein the force applying means are rotatably mounted on a support and means are provided for securing the force applying means in any position of its rotational adjustment.

4. Transmission means as claimed in claim 3 wherein the force applying means is provided with a spigot which engages between the support and the clamping means.

5. Transmission means as claimed in claim 1 wherein the force applying means is constructed to act on the spindle at two spaced locations.

6. Transmission means as claimed in claim 5 wherein the force applying means are constructed to act on parts of the spindle on either side of the track.

7. Transmission means as claimed in claim 1 and wherein the spindle is constructed wholly or partly of a magnetically responsive material and the force applying means comprises magnetic means having one or more magnetic poles spaced apart in the direction of said line of contact.

8. Transmission means as claimed in claim 7 wherein the magnetic means comprise at least one permanent magnet having pole pieces of opposite polarity spaced apart in the direction of said line of contact.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,837,889 6/1958 Comer 57--77.45 X 2,855,750 10/1958 Schrenk et al. 57-77.45 X 3,058,289 10/ 1962 Raschle 57-77.45 X 3,074,225 1/1963 Scragg 57-77.45 3,074,226 1/ 1963 Hilbert 57-77.45 3,115,743 12/1963 Brodtmann 57-77.45 3,233,398 2/1966 Gilchrist 57-77.45 X 3,304,706 2/ 1967 Mattingly 57-77.45 3,385,047 5/ 1968 Schwabe 57-77.45 3,488,678 1/ 1970 Biemok 57-77.45

DONALD E. WATKINS, Primary Examiner 

